This invention relates to a decision making technique and, more particularly, to a decision making technique specifically designed for assisting individuals who are conflicted in an intimate relationship to resolve such conflicts in a satisfactory manner within one""s self. This invention also relates to computer and interactive use of the method according to the invention.
It is often the case that conflicts arise within individuals and cause stress to such individuals. Presumably, allowing an individual to resolve such conflicts in a satisfactory manner will reduce the stress on the individual and allow the individual to continue life in a more stable mind set thus contributing to the well being, happiness or satisfaction of the individual.
Conflicts arise in relationships over which the individual has no personal control. First, there may be conflicts due to the perception by an individual of his perception by others. Such conflicts are clearly not within the control of the individual and therefor are not resolvable by that individual. However, if the individual can recognize that such conflicts are not within the individual""s control, it will presumably assist the individual to attach less importance to such uncontrollable conflicts. Second, there may be conflicts which are quite within the control of the individual. If the individual recognizes that such conflicts, known as intra psychic conflicts, are within the control of the individual, the individual can proceed to resolve these controllable conflicts and spend the necessary time in doing so since the time used will be spent in a productive manner.
In addition to recognizing that intra psychic conflicts may be resolved by the individual because they are within the control of the individual, conflicts are present that the individual may think have been resolved but which have been resolved for incorrect reasons. The supposition present is that the individual may have resolved those conflicts by dependence on the actions of others which are not controllable by the individual. It would be beneficial if the individual could recognize that he has made decisions and that the decisions made have not resolved the conflict appropriately.
The theory of conflict resolution using the Two Chair Technique was disclosed by the inventor in her Ph. D. thesis entitled The Gestalt Two-Chair Technique: How It Relates to Theory, the University of British Columbia, 1995. That conflict resolution, however, did not teach or contemplate the ability to put the theory into practise by way of concrete and specific steps that could be taken by either joint individuals, namely a mentor and the conflicted individual. Nor did it contemplate that an individual could participate on a private and personal basis without the presence of a mentor or professional.
One problem with therapeutic counselling is embarrassment by the conflicted individual. Regardless of whether or not the mentor or professional is known to the individual or not, the conflicted individual is often reluctant to discuss private or personal lifestyle details with the mentor. Privacy is a key requirement to avoid embarrassment and the perception of individuals may be that such privacy is not forthcoming when a third party is involved, even if the third party is not known to the individual. A further problem relates to the availability of professional help for the individual. It may be that professional assistance is too expensive or is otherwise unavailable.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a product for assessing and resolving intra psychic conflict and increasing self-awareness in an individual arising from an intimate relationship with another party comprising a plurality of individual statements, each of said statements falling within a predetermined cell, each respective statement being associated with said predetermined cell by one of four (4) criteria, the first one of said four(4) criteria being a lack of awareness of one""s self and a state of indecision, the second one of said four(4) criteria being an awareness of ones""s self and a state of indecision, the third one of said four(4) criteria being lack of awareness of one""s self and a state of decidedness and the fourth one of said four(4) criteria being an awareness of one""s self and a state of decidedness.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for assessment and resolutiion of intra psychic conflict and increasing self-awareness within a first individual arising from an intimate relationship with a second individual, said method comprising providing said first individual with a plurality of individual statements, each of said statements being associated with one of a plurality of four(4) cells, said first one of said four(4) cells requiring a statement constructed to reveal a lack of awareness of one""s self and a state of indecision, said second one of said four(4) cells requiring a statement constructed to reveal an awareness of ones""s self and a state of indecision, said third one of said four(4) cells requiring a statement constructed to reveal a lack of awareness of one""s self and a state of decidedness and said fourth one of said four(4) cells requiring a statement constructed to reveal an awareness of one""s self and a state of decidedness.